Patna: With the Bihar Assembly elections concluded, the state is witnessing a massive outflow of migrant workers once again, highlighting persistent employment challenges. Since the Chhath festival, over 77.6 lakh passengers have left Bihar, many heading to states like Goa, Maharashtra, and Delhi in search of work.
At Patna Junction, migrant workers Amarjeet Kumar Kamat and Raghunandan shared their hardships. “The government should provide us employment in Bihar itself. We have to leave our homes and go out—it’s very difficult. People cry along the way. We are separated from our wives, children, and parents,” they said.
Over 200,000 Migrants Leave Bihar Daily
Data from the Samastipur Railway Division shows that in the 15 days following Chhath, nearly 30.9 lakh passengers departed from North Bihar and Seemanchal alone, averaging more than 200,000 passengers daily. Across Bihar, approximately 6 lakh passengers board trains every day.
Raghunandan described the conditions on trains: “Trains are so crowded that we are forced to travel in crammed spaces. We came to vote for change, hoping for a new government, but Nitish Kumar’s government was formed again. Now we are being pushed around.”
Vinod, a laborer from Bakhtiyarpur, said, “Lalu came to form the government, but the NDA formed it.” Amit Pandit of Samastipur added, “Whether the RJD wins or the BJP wins, migration continues. There has never been employment in Bihar, and it’s unlikely there will be.”
MD Rustam echoed the sentiment: “Special trains have only two general bogies, yet thousands are traveling. The government should provide employment here so people don’t have to migrate.”
Railways Responds With Special Trains
After the conclusion of the second phase of elections, the East Central Railway reports a continued rush of passengers. DRM Jyoti Prakash Mishra stated, “In view of the increased number of passengers after the elections, special trains will continue to operate to provide maximum facilities.”
Official figures show that on October 29-30, over 1.43 million passengers left Bihar, marking the highest exodus in recent days. The peak single-day departure from North Bihar and Seemanchal was 716,000 on October 29, while the lowest was 426,000 on the day of the first phase of elections.
Despite the railways’ efforts to accommodate the surge with additional services, migrants say their plight remains unchanged, with employment scarcity continuing to push them out of the state.
